The INSIDER daily digest -- June 13, 2022

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit, the Marine Corps' explosive ordnance disposal units and more.

With Defense Innovation Unit Director Michael Brown slated to step down in the coming months, DIU may be facing an uncertain future as it seeks to rebound from a fiscal year 2022 budget that included a more than 20% reduction while military spending neared $800 billion:

Vaunted Defense Innovation Unit nearing inflection point

The Defense Innovation Unit, known for being the Pentagon's Silicon Valley outreach team, could be headed for a crossroads as it is poised to lose its longest-serving leader at a time when some in Congress -- critical of top military officials' commitment to the highly visible but small-budget organization -- are rallying to boost investment in the outfit.

The family of Littoral Explosive Ordnance Neutralization systems aims to provide safe maneuver within the littoral regions -- helping the Explosive Ordnance Disposal community and the service as a whole:

Marine Corps exercising LEON's network capability during RIMPAC

CAMP PENDLETON, CA -- The Marine Corps is leveraging a networked Littoral Explosive Ordnance Neutralization system in the world's largest international maritime exercise this summer.

Two pilots flew in a synchronized augmented reality environment where a KC-46A Pegasus one of the pilots refueled with was not real:

Red 6 successfully tests new AR training technology

Flying somewhere between 4,000 and 8,000 feet on May 10 in the skies above Ventura County, CA, Brandon Harris, a test pilot for aerospace startup Red 6, pulled in behind a refueling tanker as another Red 6 pilot, Tom Mackie, observed in a separate aircraft.

The pandemic delayed technological maturity testing of a new engine produced by the Improved Turbine Engine Program, from January 2021 until March this year, the Army told the Government Accountability Office:

GAO: COVID delayed testing, manufacturing of ITEP engine

A new report from the Government Accountability Office released Wednesday found the coronavirus pandemic created prolonged delays in manufacturing and testing a new helicopter engine that will one day power the Black Hawk, Apache and Future Attack Reconnaissance helicopters.

Document: GAO's annual weapon systems assessment

Inside Defense recently interviewed the Pentagon's senior information security officer and deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity:

Pentagon cyber chief: DOD plan to meet CUI controls goes 'above and beyond CMMC'

Pentagon cyber chief David McKeown says military officials are focused on ensuring their systems that deal with sensitive data are held to standards "above and beyond" the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification framework that applies to defense contractors who handle controlled unclassified information.